


Changes

by popfly



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-05-19
Updated: 2005-05-19
Packaged: 2017-10-26 13:58:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/284049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popfly/pseuds/popfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes things change, sometimes they stay the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changes

The envelope was bright yellow and sticking out from between the electricity bill and one of Justin's art supply catalogues. Brian ignored it, assuming it was junk mail - coupons or those checks that make you think you've just received a free three grand, but which end up being three grand off a ridiculously over-priced breeder sedan - and he almost threw it out, but the phone rang, and Lindsay wanted him to talk to Gus and then he forgot all about it.

When Justin came home, he threw his keys down on the counter and practically salivated over his new catalogue, picking it up and carrying it to the couch without taking off his jacket or his shoes, plopping down and rifling through it. Brian looked up from the computer desk and stared at Justin until Justin looked up and came to, standing and dropping his bag on the floor and coming over to give Brian a kiss.

Pretty much everything was forgotten then.

Brian noticed the envelope two days later, while searching for his keys. "Goddammit," he grumbled, shoving papers around and digging in the pockets of the coat draped over the kitchen stool.

"Still can't find them?" Justin came down the bedroom steps, rubbing his hands together and brushing his palms over his hair. Brian could smell the expensive minty gel that he'd just bought and narrowed his eyes at Justin. Justin grinned and wiped his hands on the sides of his jeans, pressing up against Brian's side. "It works better than mine."

"That's because mine cost fifteen dollars a bottle and yours costs three." Brian pulled his hand free from the empty pocket of his coat and propped his knuckles on his hip. "I have no fucking idea where they are. There's shit *everywhere*."

Justin toed the edge of a cardboard box and looked around the room. "Things get messy when you move."

"Yeah, well." Brian ran a hand through his hair and studied the counter. He'd shifted everything around so many times, he wondered if his keys got caught in the shuffle. He reached out and picked up a pile of mail, thumbing through it.

"Unless you have magical flattening keys, I doubt they're in there."

Brian rolled his eyes but didn't look up. "It doesn't hurt to look everywhere."

"My mom used to say that."

Brian paused in his searching but still didn't look up. He just set his jaw and continued on. He went past the yellow envelope and then came back to it. "I thought I threw this out."

Justin took it from him and turned it over in his hands. Brian dropped the pile of papers back on the counter. "What is it?"

"Junk," Brian shrugged. "I'm assuming."

"Our address is hand-written." Justin chewed his lip as he tore the envelope open, his brow furrowed. Brian tried to keep himself from tapping his fingers on the counter impatiently.

"It's probably one of those fancy computer fonts that *look* like handwriting, used to dupe gullible boys like you into ... " he trailed off when Justin held out the card with a triumphant smile.

"Not junk."

Brian took the card and read the block script on the front. "Woody's, this Friday at ten, if you know what's good for you." Brian wrinkled his nose. "What the fuck?"

"It's totally Michael's handwriting, Brian."

"Well, I can tell that, thank you. He never was good at disguising his chicken scratch. What I meant was ... " Brian thought. "Well, what I meant was 'what the fuck'."

Justin kept grinning. "He's throwing us a going away party."

"He told me wasn't going to. He swore." Brian turned the card over in his hands and looked up to catch Justin's arched eyebrow. "Well he did."

"When did I get to know your best friend better than you? Honestly." Justin turned back towards the bedroom. "Good thing we were heading there tonight anyway. Otherwise we'd be late. Not that that would surprise anyone," he tossed over his shoulder.

Brian sighed and took another look around the living room. The desk and sofa and television stood where they'd been standing for over a year. Everything else was packed up, boxes stacked in most of the available space. There was a path to the bedroom and random patches of hardwood between the haphazard piles. Brian pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. Then he heard a jingle in front of his face and opened them.

Justin had the same triumphant grin on his face, and Brian's keys dangling from his fingers. "On the bathroom sink."

"What the fuck?"

Justin shrugged and shoved his arms into his jacket sleeves. "Get your coat, let's go to our party."

*****

 

They were only fifteen minutes late. Brian thought that was probably more of a shock to the assembled crowd then Justin's over-acted look of surprise. Brian rolled his eyes and told Michael to get Ben to make out all of his anonymous mailings from then on. Michael looked sheepish until Brian planted a kiss on him, and then he perked up and announced that drinks were on him.

When everyone had a drink Michael raised his glass. "I'd like to propose a toast." Glasses lifted as Brian sighed and looked put out. Michael ignored him and continued on. "I'd like to propose a toast to Brian and Justin. To Justin's new job and to the future headquarters of Kinnetik. I know you guys are going to have an amazing time in New York."

Brian pretended not to notice the tears gathering on Michael's eyelashes or the tremble in Lindsay's lip. And Emmett's, for that matter. He cleared his throat and looked around at the group.

Debbie was leaning heavily on Carl, catching tears at the corners of her eyes so her eyeliner wouldn't roll down her cheeks. Emmett had his chin propped on Ted's shoulder and Ted was smiling broadly, holding Emmett's cosmo glass up with his forearm, and his own beer up as well. Lindsay was clutching the neck of her bottle so hard her knuckles were turning white and Melanie was kneading her shoulder with her free hand. Ben had his large fingers spread over Michael's shoulder in comfort and a grin on his face. Even Cynthia was there, winking in the background, tipping her wine glass just slightly forward.

Brian felt something rise in his throat and he had the terrible thought that he was going to cry. Then he felt Justin's hand on his hip and he smiled. "Thanks," was all he could think of to say before he lifted his glass to his lips.

The party carried on from there with blessedly few maudlin moments. They all stayed around their two tables, tossing back drink after drink and telling stories. It was the kind of thing that Brian would normally hate - well, aside from the drinking - but it seemed almost right just then to be laughing about Emmett tripping at a fairy gathering, or lowering their eyes after a story about Vic.

Brian took a bathroom break during the re-telling of Jenny Rebecca's birth and when he came back people were moving about. The reminiscing part of the evening was clearly over, and Carl had dragged Ted over to the dart boards and insisted he play. Emmett was looking on with a twinkle in his eye, heckling. Melanie was talking about the next Grassi House fundraiser with Ben, and Justin and Michael were laying out a new issue of Rage.

Debbie got up from her chair and came around the table like a woman on a mission. Brian took a step back before she caught him in a tight hug.

"You better be careful up there in the big city," she said, and Brian could hear the worry in her voice. He bit back a wince when her arms tightened more.

"Debbie, I wouldn't particularly enjoy the irony of you breaking my ribs while giving me a lecture on safety." He shifted uncomfortably against her.

She laughed a little, looking slighly sheepish when she pulled back. Then she straightened her mouth and pointed a finger in his face. "Be good to Sunshine."

He nodded, pressing his lips together to keep from smiling so she would know that he was serious. She nodded and gave his cheek a light slap before squaring her shoulders and heading towards the dart boards.

The second Debbie was gone Lindsay approached him, looking on the verge on tears. Brian tilted his head and gave her a pleading look. "Don't. Whatever you do."

"I know, no hideous displays of sentimentality. I just wanted to tell you I love you." She smoothed a hand down his arm and gave him a weak, watery smile.

"And how is that *not* a hideous display of sentimentality?"

"Oh, Brian." She bit her lower lip. "We'll come visit soon."

Brian gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Justin swore the loft would be Gus-friendly as soon as possible. I don't know what that means, but he told me he'd make sure."

Lindsay laughed and cast a fond glance in Justin's direction. "Be good to him."

"Christ, what do people think I'm going to do? I'm following him there, remember? Maybe you should give him the 'be good to him' speech."

Lindsay leaned up to give Brian a kiss and left him be. Brian saw her bend over to talk in Justin's ear, and chuckled to himself. He hadn't *really* meant it.

When Emmett came towards him with a serious face and wet eyes, Brian decided to escape. He made eyes at someone across the bar and gave a smirk and a grin to Mikey before turning to weave his way through the crowd.

He bypassed the guy and headed out the door, stopping at the bottom of the steps and lighting a cigarette. He paced a few times in front of the building, tamping down the rising swell of something disgustingly sentimental and reminding himself of the same thing he'd been telling Michael. New York wasn't *that* far from Pittsburgh.

He leaned back against a light pole and dropped the cigarette butt on the ground, putting it out with the heel of his shoe. It was a little chilly outside, and he hadn't wanted to grab his jacket - he didn't think he could come up with a reason for taking his coat to get a blow job in the bathroom - so he shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched up his shoulders.

Moments later the door of the bar swung open and Justin appeared, hugging himself the second he came outside, bouncing up and down a little and looking around. His eyes landed on Brian and his mouth stretched out in a slow smile.

Brian didn't move a muscle. He felt the pole behind him, pressing between his shoulder blades, and he wondered if Justin's face was a mirror of what Brian's had looked like that night. Then he wondered when he became such a lesbian.

He couldn't help himself when Justin sauntered up to him, and a smirk escaped despite his best efforts to keep his face expressionless. Justin smirked back, tilting his head back.

"Headed someplace special?"

Brian couldn't hold down the wave of warmth, and he didn't really want to. It took all of his energy not to reach out and crush Justin to him, but somehow he managed. His voice didn't come out as husky as he thought it would either. "Not really."

Justin couldn't check his grin, and Brian followed the curve of his mouth with his eyes before dragging them back upwards. Justin looked like he wanted to do the same thing Brian was dying to do, and Brian felt like he was holding his breath waiting for the next words. He knew what they'd be, and he knew that they were ridiculously true.

"I can change that." Justin's eyes got serious and dark, flashing in the dim yellow street light, his hair a red halo, backlit by neon. Brian reached out and touched the tips of his fingers to Justin's cheek, and he felt that damn lump in his throat again.

He thought of all the things he could say then, but he knew that any words he could come up with would just ruin the moment. So instead he slid his hand around Justin's neck and pulled him forward, pressing their mouths together.

Brian had thought once that they'd get bored of each other and drift apart. He thought that kissing the same person over and over again, or fucking the same person over and over again, would get tiresome. He'd been wrong. Five years and he still felt a jolt whenever Justin touched him.

He had a feeling it would be the same five years down the line.

And he didn't care if he *did* sound like a lesbian.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the LJ fest comingthengoing.


End file.
